From the name to the menu to its owners, Ka-fey cafe brings life, colour and a bit of fun to Newcastle's Hunter Street Mall.
"Our menu is pretty big. There's something for everyone. We can't pretend we are fancy; we are down-to-earth with fresh, delicious food," says Lucy Glover, who opened Ka-fey with partner Julian Ciabatti at 148 Hunter Street in March 2018.
She was an art director in the publishing industry at the time and he was - and is - a chef.
"After having our daughter, it was pretty hard thinking about going back to work full-time in the industry I was in," Glover said.
"Long hours, constant deadlines and the commute to Sydney from the western suburbs was not really an option. We decided to look for cafes to rent and a couple of places came up in Newcastle."
The pair travelled to Newcastle and fell in love with its lifestyle and affordability.
"I remember thinking 148 Hunter Street was pretty dark but cosy and an easier option than fitting out some other spaces we liked," Glover said.
"The buzz of the tourists, cruise ships and workers with the promise of the busy light rail made it a great spot."
Ka-fey is licensed and its menu offers all-day breakfast items as well as wraps, burgers, salads, pizzas, sweet treats, cocktails and juices. Most of the menu is made in-house and from scratch.
"Every day is different - everyone might order beef burgers one day or breakfast pizza might be the most popular the next," Glover said.
"This week we sold out of my caramel cookies as soon as they came out of the oven."
Ka-fey also has its own fermentation brand, Good Gut Probiotics, and a soft-serve frozen yogurt machine which makes "froyo" bowls.
"Julian has been a chef for 34 years, so knows a thing or two. His background is in seafood and Italian restaurants, with many pubs, clubs and a few cafes on his resume," Glover said.
"Being from an Italian background he loves coffee and being part of the community.
"We have been with Allpress Espresso from when we opened. A.R.T espresso roast is 'big, fat and chocolatey' and our customers love that it's consistent. It's air roasted, so no burnt beans."
Ka-fey also has a dedicated Keto menu featuring chaffles (an alternative to bread that's simply cheese and egg cooked in a waffle maker).
"Our customers kept on asking for changes when ordering and it got to the point where so many of our customers were Keto that we decided to add our Keto Bowl to the menu," Glover explained.
"This was so popular that we added a whole new Keto menu. We have customers coming from the Central Coast, Maitland and even Melbourne to visit just for the Keto options."
Glover and Ciabatti have worked hard to create a cafe that is welcoming and accessible to all, and have been involved in community events held in the mall over the years. They love the idea of being a "community hub" of sorts for inner-city residents.
"We try to support anyone we can, really. We love Newcastle Toy Run and actively support them however we can," Glover said.
"These are our people and we are proud to see the Toy Run t-shirts worn by the people who visit. Julian is motorcycle and soccer mad, so we also host some of the official 'Liverpool FC Supporters Club Newcastle Australia' events here too.
"I recently joined the Newcastle City Business Improvement Association so that I can actively be involved in making stuff happen. It's great to have insights into what's going on and see what's working in the other associations so we can help all the businesses in our areas and bring people into town."
Many businesses have left Hunter Street Mall in recent years for various reasons, one being the disruption and loss of foot traffic caused by the light rail construction. Glover describes the mall as a "mystery".
"Not one day, week or hour of any of those days is constant or predictable. Busy one minute, dead the next," she said.
"We love our customers. They put a smile on our faces every day, they enrich our souls and we miss them when they move on. There's not many jobs you can say that about.
"One good thing for now is that parking is back to half-an-hour free and we have angled parking, so plenty more spots! The mall has amazing little businesses all along it, and is well worth a visit."
And keep an eye out for events at Ka-fey in the coming months. The cafe is taking part in EASEL'D, a month-long live painting event in September where 100 artists will be using portable walls, businesses and outdoor spaces as canvases from the West End to Newcastle Beach. Two art workshops are taking place in the mall adjacent to the cafe on September 9, featuring the talents of Jen Denzin and Natalie Sherring.
"I'm going to apply for SBR [City of Newcastle's Special Business Rate program] funding to do some semi-regular events for the shops at the mall, and try to find a way to get people to walk a block or two from The Station and Olive Tree markets as we are especially empty when they are on. Watch this space," Glover said.
